LizF
06-29-2007, 06:17 AM
Mention of RP in the 4th paragraph:
http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2007/06/29/Opinions/Dark-Horse.Candidates.Serve.Critical.Role.In.Presidenti al.Race-2919744.shtml
Dark horse candidates serve critical role in presidential race
Editorial
By: DI Editorial Board
Posted: 6/29/07
There are 18 visible candidates for the 2008 presidential-nominations of the two major parties. In the televised debates so far, there have been 10 candidates on the Republican side and eight on the Democratic side. Yet, if you were to ask the average American to start naming the candidates, they would likely not get past the top three on either side. These are the "top-tier" candidates that we hear so much about. They raise the most money and garner the most media attention - often for their indiscretions more than their political positions.
The top-tier contenders are the ones in the spotlight, but what about the other candidates? There are 12 others with national campaigns, and possibly more will enter the race. These are the second-tier, the dark horses, the long shots. The unlikely nominees serve as a constant thorn in the side of the front-runners and, for this reason, make an important contribution to the race.
On the Republican side, the three front-runners have been criticized by many in their party who do not feel that they are conservative enough to serve the best interest of the party. Jim Gilmore, a former governor of Virginia, made the oft-repeated quip, "Rudy McRomney is not a conservative." Beyond the top-tier, there is a struggle to nominate a candidate who personifies the conservative values that they feel best represent the Republican Party.
So, we have the top tier, which consists of John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney. Then there are the second-tier thorns in their side who are effectively pushing them away from the center and toward the right. And, of course, out in right field we have Ron Paul. He has been putting the Republican candidates on the defensive with his critical stances on America's foreign policy and what he calls excessive government spending. These are issues that are important to the American public, and Paul does us a great service by bringing them into the debate and forcing the other candidates to take a stand.
While the second-tier candidates on the Republican side attack their front-runners for their lack of conservatism, the second-tier on the Democratic side criticize their front-runners for a lack of experience. At the federal level, the top three Democratic candidates had a combined total of 14 years of experience as of this January. Most of the other candidates are focusing their campaigns on this lack of experience. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has a campaign ad running in Iowa that represents the election as a job interview. The ersatz employer determines him to be a little "over-qualified" for the job. The truth is, most of the candidates on the second-tier have more individual experience than the 14 years served by the front-runners.
And then, as with the GOP and its right field, out in left field we have former Sen. Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich. While the second-tier candidates are keeping the top three on their toes to compensate for their lack of experience, Gravel and Kucinich are putting all of the candidates on the defensive for their position on the war in Iraq. Both candidates want to put an end to the war immediately and hold all of the other candidates responsible by making them answer for their voting records.
Regardless of how much money they raise, or how far they go toward the office of the presidency, the dark horses bring important issues to the forefront and change the discourse of the debates. They have declared their candidacy, and we are all better for it.
http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2007/06/29/Opinions/Dark-Horse.Candidates.Serve.Critical.Role.In.Presidenti al.Race-2919744.shtml
Dark horse candidates serve critical role in presidential race
Editorial
By: DI Editorial Board
Posted: 6/29/07
There are 18 visible candidates for the 2008 presidential-nominations of the two major parties. In the televised debates so far, there have been 10 candidates on the Republican side and eight on the Democratic side. Yet, if you were to ask the average American to start naming the candidates, they would likely not get past the top three on either side. These are the "top-tier" candidates that we hear so much about. They raise the most money and garner the most media attention - often for their indiscretions more than their political positions.
The top-tier contenders are the ones in the spotlight, but what about the other candidates? There are 12 others with national campaigns, and possibly more will enter the race. These are the second-tier, the dark horses, the long shots. The unlikely nominees serve as a constant thorn in the side of the front-runners and, for this reason, make an important contribution to the race.
On the Republican side, the three front-runners have been criticized by many in their party who do not feel that they are conservative enough to serve the best interest of the party. Jim Gilmore, a former governor of Virginia, made the oft-repeated quip, "Rudy McRomney is not a conservative." Beyond the top-tier, there is a struggle to nominate a candidate who personifies the conservative values that they feel best represent the Republican Party.
So, we have the top tier, which consists of John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney. Then there are the second-tier thorns in their side who are effectively pushing them away from the center and toward the right. And, of course, out in right field we have Ron Paul. He has been putting the Republican candidates on the defensive with his critical stances on America's foreign policy and what he calls excessive government spending. These are issues that are important to the American public, and Paul does us a great service by bringing them into the debate and forcing the other candidates to take a stand.
While the second-tier candidates on the Republican side attack their front-runners for their lack of conservatism, the second-tier on the Democratic side criticize their front-runners for a lack of experience. At the federal level, the top three Democratic candidates had a combined total of 14 years of experience as of this January. Most of the other candidates are focusing their campaigns on this lack of experience. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has a campaign ad running in Iowa that represents the election as a job interview. The ersatz employer determines him to be a little "over-qualified" for the job. The truth is, most of the candidates on the second-tier have more individual experience than the 14 years served by the front-runners.
And then, as with the GOP and its right field, out in left field we have former Sen. Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich. While the second-tier candidates are keeping the top three on their toes to compensate for their lack of experience, Gravel and Kucinich are putting all of the candidates on the defensive for their position on the war in Iraq. Both candidates want to put an end to the war immediately and hold all of the other candidates responsible by making them answer for their voting records.
Regardless of how much money they raise, or how far they go toward the office of the presidency, the dark horses bring important issues to the forefront and change the discourse of the debates. They have declared their candidacy, and we are all better for it.